Chapter 87: Never forgive
Aira’s POV
Where the hell was this man?
I am this close to screaming his name at the top of my lungs. There was something he wasn’t telling me, and I am going to find out what it is today. The last time I saw Alex was yesterday. I am sick and tired of his constant disappearance.
He spoke of ghosts yesterday like he wasn’t acting like one.
I didn’t even bother changing out of my nightgown as I marched down the halls with my arms swinging furiously at my sides. Despite my boiling rage, I do not let it overwhelm me. We all know what happens when it does.
Instead, I concentrate enough to be able to track him down through our bond. He was in this palace; I knew he was. I could feel him.
I let our bond lead the way to him, and I found myself taking the path down to his office. So this is where he has been all this time? I am about to give this man a huge piece of my mind.C0pyright © 2024 Nôv)(elDrama.Org.
The door is opened slightly, and I am able to take a peek inside. When my eyes land on Alex, my feet come to a halt. He is staring out the window, the golden crest we found yesterday held tightly in his hands.
From his eyes, I could tell that he was lost in thought. But he was also sad. Greatly sad.
“It belonged to Jared.”
My heart nearly flies out of my chest as I stumble a bit from surprise. Spinning on my heel, my eyes lock with Arnold’s. My hand falls on my chest, over my pounding heart, as I take a few breaths to calm myself down.
“Arnold, you scared me,” I tell him, and he offers me a smile that does not reflect in his eyes.
“My apologies, Luna.”
My attention returns to Alex, who still appears lost in thought. Jared, where have I heard that name before? “Who is Jared?”
“Jared was an old friend of ours, a childhood friend, actually,” Arnold explains, and my eyebrows shoot to the top of my head. Now I remember where I heard that name before. That little boy in the spirit realm-does that mean the one who had his back to me was Alex?
And that woman-the spirit that summoned me-who was she?
A sharp pain strikes my head as all these thoughts come in at once; they were just too much. There were so many questions. Questions that I needed answers to.
And Alex… he once told me about a childhood friend of his who now hates him. A thought comes to mind, rendering me utterly speechless. Could Jared have been the one who saved me that day? He had to be…
That means he has returned.
And it is clear that Alex did not look happy about it.
Arnold speaks once again, his voice snapping me out of my thoughts. “He needs you now more than ever; be there for him. His heart has been carrying a guilt that I once thought would kill him until you came along. Only you can get that weight off him.”
With that said, Arnold turns on his heel and leaves. I was sucking my bottom lip into my mouth. I give Alex another glance. Quietly, I step into his office, making my steps as silent as possible as I near him.
I expected him to jump or be surprised when my arms suddenly wrapped around him from behind, but he didn’t even move an inch. I frown. Seriously?
“You are supposed to be scared,” I say quietly, and he rolls his eyes.
“I heard you coming from a mile away, including you and Arnold’s conversation. You should work more on your stealth skills,” he points out, and this time I am the one rolling my eyes.
“You are just unnecessarily alert all the time,” I defend, and he tilts his head to shoot me a glance.
“Unnecessarily? That is the most necessary skill right now,” he states, and I couldn’t agree more with him. His expression suddenly falls, and he looks away from me. “He is back, isn’t he?”
My lips purse as my grip on him tightens. “He saved me, Alex. We have to find a way to track him down and talk to him. I believe after all these years he has learned to forgive you.”
Alex doesn’t say a word for a moment. He just stares out the window, still deeply lost in thought. His eyelids narrow to slits. “There are two things Jared and I had in common when we were kids. One of them was our love for my mother. The other was our forever-burning hatred. We never forgive.”
The second Alex finished speaking, the earth trembled beneath our feet. A loud boom nearly leaves me deaf and brings me to my knees.
“Aira!” Alex yells, wrapping his arms around me protectively as he brings me back to my feet. What is happening? Why is the scent of burning flesh and blood all over the place? The gunshots, the screams, and the howls of our soldiers were everywhere.
“We are under attack, alpha!” Arnold says over the chaos:.
“Arnold, get her out of here; take the secret passageway,” Alex commands, and I look at him defiantly.
“No, I am not going anywhere without you!” I say as smoke fills every corner of his office.
Alex looks at me apologetically, and his next words shatter my heart into a thousand pieces. “I am sorry.”
Before I knew what was going on, I was lifted off my feet by someone from behind, no doubt Arnold. A scream escapes my lips as I kick and scream at him to let me go, but his grip is too strong.
He carried me out of the office on his shoulder, ignoring my screams and struggles as though they came from a child. My eyes lock with Alex’s one last time, and he mouths an ‘I love you’ to me, but I didn’t say it back.
I don’t know, but I just couldn’t say it; saying it now felt like saying goodbye.
And that is something I am not ready for. Not yet.